Build the Business, Not Just the HouseFixed price contracts, thin margins and slow progress claims are a business problem, not a building problem.

It depends on your state and the value of the work. Queensland requires a QBCC licence above $3,300, New South Wales above $5,000 and Victoria registration above $10,000. Cert IV in Building and Construction is the usual qualification pathway. In New Zealand it is the national Licensed Building Practitioner scheme for restricted building work. Getting licensed is step one, running it profitably is what we train.

It varies sharply by state. Queensland is around five months minimum through QBCC once experience and financial evidence are assembled, while New South Wales can be roughly eight weeks. The paperwork is not the hard part. The hard part is having a business behind the licence that can carry the jobs it lets you sign, which is what our training and coaching build.

Not every job, but the thresholds are low. New South Wales requires HBCF cover through icare on residential work over $20,000, Queensland's Home Warranty Scheme starts above $3,300 with the contractor paying the premium, and Victoria requires VMIA domestic building insurance over $16,000. New Zealand has no compulsory scheme, only optional guarantees such as Master Build. Your eligibility limit is set by your financials.

NCC 2022 still governs residential work, including the 7-star NatHERS energy rating and the livable housing provisions. Residential NCC changes are paused to mid-2029, and New South Wales has announced it will adopt the next code in May 2027. NCC 2025 changes are mostly commercial. New Zealand runs its own Building Code, not the NCC. Knowing which rules bite is part of costing a job properly.